Means for recording the order of finishing in contests



July 21,1953 s. J. SAMUELS MEANS FOR RECORDING THE ORDER OF FINISHING IN CONTESTS Filed July 19, 1950 J R 1 W 1 5 W E W Bbm n m h V m NM .h m m l R m 3 W S rfl 3 M r) V01 I J. v. my no J 9 IE 0 I 4 u 6 w \w/ v 1 J I 7 a I .lllu.

y 1953 s. J. SAMUELS 2,646,558

MEANS FOR RECORDING THE ORDER OF FINISHING IN CONTESTS Filed July 19, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEIWOR.

STEPHEN smmss QYWWELQ MAM/Mm k nda *Pmwdw HTORDEiS MEANS FOR RECORDING THE ORDER OF FINISHING IN CONTESTS Filed July 19, 1950 S. J. SAM UELS July 21, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet -3 INVENTOR'. STEPHEN 3Hm5 saw/as M-Wmdmlk, -kvr\eb WWW PmoRmm s Patented July 21, 1953 OFFICE MEANS'FOR RECORDING THE ORDER 0F FINISHING IN CONTESTS Stephen J amesSamuels, Nelson, New Zealand Application July 19, 1950, Serial No. 174,707

- In New Zealand July28, 1949 a contest has the finishing order of the contestants set forth visually before him in the order in which the contestants finish their event. According to this invention, the improved means comprises balls released'by the contestants mechanically and electrically, a collecting and directing means for the reception of the balls, a confined compartment in which the balls are received in their orderof release and a window or other viewing means of the confined compartment through which the balls-can be viewed. in the order in which the'balls are released and collected in the confined compartment;

The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a part elevation of a stand, and the releasing and collecting means held in the stand,

Figure 2' is a planof Figure 1,

Figure 3 is an elevation of aviewing case supported'on the bottom end of the collectingmeans,

Figure 4 is a schematic layout of eachcontestants means for releasing and thereby indicating order oifinish in a chopping contest;

" Figure'5 is an electric circuit according to Figure-4, 1 Y 1 Figure 6- illustratesa contestants' standing chop competition and means for operatnigthe switch,

Figure '7 isan elevational view of a contest antsunderhand' chop competition and means for operating'the switch,

Figure 8. is a pIanof'Figure 7, and

Figure 9 illustrates a suitable switch.

Inthis invention as shown in Figures 2 and 3 balls I are preferably coloured or otherwise marked so that each contestant hasan allotted coloured or marked ball andeach contestant releases his ball I' so that each contestant can be identified by his coloured ball I. 7

Each ball I isarranged to be held up such as by a support which can be tripped to allow the ball I to drop, andin a. simple and convenient form, each of such supports. is the movable core g of asolenoid 3. The solenoids 3 are attached 2 tea circular. platform to of'astand. 3b situated onrthe ground.

Supported bythe cores 2 of the solenoids 3; the balls I are held up above a collecting'means down which the balls I can travel as'they; are released, A collecting means is in the form of a funnel 4 which allows the balls I to travel bygravity and roll down to a confined compartment 5 towards which the funnel shape of the collecting means directs the balls I.

Furthermore, the coll'ecting means 4. has an inner directing wallifi, see Figure;2; and shown in; dotted line in Figure'l, whichuis an; inverted cone centrally situatediin;thecollecting means Llso that the balls [pass downbetween the collectingmeans andtherinner; directing wall 6,to ensure that the balls- I do not bunch orcome out of the orderin; which theyarereleased by the cores 2'of thesolenoids 3.

Also the collecting and directing means 4i has acircular upper. rim 1. with bolts 3; directed inwards and attachedto theupperrizn of the wall 5 to form small open compartments in which the balls are held-supported by. the cores 2 passed through rim 1- and; released by cores 2. to fall through'the compartments and'to roll down between the collecting means 4 and the inside of wall-6 to-the confinedcompartment 5.

The confined compartment 5 is elongated and asv shown inFigure 3"is in the form of a'spont S sloping downwardly and capable of taking one ball I at a time The spout 9 of the confined compartment 5 has a door Ill near its lower end which can be openedrto extract the balls I from the spout 9 for their return to the core 2 of the trip means for further use The one side of the spout 9 of the confinedcompartmentmay be open and the opening may be covered in to' form a viewing window of. glass or other transparent material. Thus, a judge of a contest can view the order in which the balls I have collected in the spout of the confined compartment, which order will be that in which the balls; I are. releasedsuch asby theoperation of the solenoids 3.

A preferred. form of confined compartment 5 has a spout 9' made in the: form of an elongated cage of wire meshas illustrated in Figure 3with an internal diameter of the cage arranged to accommodate the balls I in single column, one on the other, as they fall into the compartment 5 and travel down, to the spout 9 so that the order of receipt of theballs I into the spout 9 can be observed from all sides. The upper end in this cage form of, thespout 9' of the confined compartment 5 is provided with bayonet joint slots I I: toi-take-studsor pins- I2 extending out from the collecting means 4. The lower end of the cage spout 9 of the compartment 5 also has a door III which can be unfastened by latch i3 and opened to allow the balls I to fall out or" the spout 9 of the compartment. Thus, after the balls I have fallen and their relative positions in the spout 9 have been viewed by judges and adjudicated on, and when the balls i are to be replaced ready for use again in collecting means 4 then the door I0 is opened to release the balls i from the spout 9 of the compartment 5.

The solenoids 3 for releasing the balls I are operated by the closing of electric circuits such as contestants taut tapes as in a running contest, or taut tapes by the weights of heads of chopping blocks duly severed and felled, or in an underhand chopping contest the logs fall apart to close electric circuits to operate the solenoids 3. As shown in Figure 9 an electric switch can comprise a bolt having a lever IE to which one end of a tape 11 is attached while the other end of the tape H is anchored such as by a spike in the log. The bolt it is in a slotted case l8 and by spring 19 the bolt It is pressed and connected into a contact 20 of one part of an electric circuit of a solenoid 3 so that tauting of a tape l7 moves the bolt [4 around and the bolt i4 is Dressed down by its spring until it makes contact with a contact terminal 26 in the other part or the electric circuit to close the latter.

In a standing wood chopping contest as shown in Figure 6, the tape I! can be strung from a long spike 2| in each block 22 to a switch on an arm 20. held above the chopping block 22 by a support 24a. The switches on the arms 24 may be attached by elongated hooks 25 so that the switches are brought close to a contestant and the string or tape l1 between the block 22 and the switch to operate the latter, can be shortened up to enhance the efiective pulling and operation of switch by eliminating most of the slack from the tape 11.

The string or tape I! shown in Figure 6 may be varied in thickness and in strength to provide a thickened portion for attaching by a clip 28 to a spike 2! in a log 22 and a thin, weak portion a that is easily broken to release a switch to allow the latter to operate as herein.

In an underhand chopping contest as shown in Figures 7 and 8 where one end of each log 22 is held and the other end of each log 22 is free to fall apart inwards or outwards when severed, then such free end of a log 22 supports an electric terminal which is preferably a ringed spike 2'1 wired in the electric circuit of a solenoid 3 and the ring of the spike 2] is arranged to form the contact surface for completing the electric circuit of a solenoid 3. The sharpened end of the spike 21 is hammered into such free end of a log 22 so that the latter supports the ring of the spike 2'! a short distance out from the free end of the log 22. Another electric terminal for making contact with the ring of the spike 2! is preferably an arm 28 inserted into the ring of the spike 21. Such arm 28 is carried by an adjustable support such as a slotted bar 29 adjustable on a post 36 inserted in the ground. Thus, the post 30 can be adjusted as to height or length in the ground and the post 30 can have a bolt 31 passed through a slot 32 of the bar 29 so that the latter can be adjusted by a nut 32a to bring the arm 28 centrally into the ring of the spike 21. By this means a free end of a log 22 when severed in a chopping contest falls with its ringed spike 2'1 therein and the ring of the spike 21 bears against the arm 28 carried on the adjustable support to complete an electric circuit of a solenoid 3; and operation of the solenoid 3 releases a ball I as set forth above.

Further, as shown by reference to Figures 7 and 8 in an underhand chopping contest where one end of each log 22 is held and the other end of each log 22 is free to fall apart when severed, such free end of each log 22 can be covered with a plate 33 which is one terminal of a circuit and the plate 33 is arranged to make contact with another terminal preferably a pointed one such as the arm 28 in the circuit to close the latter. The pointed contact arm 28 is supported as before on a stake or post 30 standing upright from the ground. The pointed contact arm 28 is prefcrably on a slotted bar 29 which can be adjusted as to height and length such as by pivoting or hinging on the bolt 31 passed through the stake or post 30 so that such adjustment of the pointed contact arm 28 can be made in relation to the plate 33 on the end of the log 22 to ensure that the plate 33 on the log 22 falls against the pointed contact arm 28 when the log 22 is severed, to

u close the electric circuit of the solenoid 3.

Thus, in this invention a contestant on completing an event breaks a tape I! which may be a worsted and taut and in so doing the tape ll operates an electric switch or electric terminals are brought together to close the electric circuit as shown in Figure 5 to operate the solenoid 3 and to withdraw the support 2 for that contestants ball I which collects in the confined compartment 5 and spout 9 to indicate to a judge the order in which the contestant is placed in finishing the event.

What I do claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a device for use in indicating the order of finishing a contest in which balls are released by contestants upon actuating mechanical and electrical means, solenoids having cores supporting the balls in compartments, said solenoids being in electric circuits closed mechanically by the contestants tauting tapes as a contest is finished, a suspended arm, elongated hooks depending from said arm, a switch on the end of each hook, a said tape from each switch connected to a spike adapted for insertion in the heads of chopping blocks, and means actuated by said tape to close said switches for actuating said solenoids for releasing said balls.

2. In a device as claimed in claim 1, said switches comprising a slotted case, a bolt slidably mounted in said case, spring means biasing said bolt to extended position out of said case, a lever connected to said bolt and extending through the slot outside said case, contact terminals positioned in proximity to said bolt, said tape being connected to said lever, tauting of said tape moving said lever in the slot for releasing said bolt for movement by said spring means into contact with said terminals for closing said electric circuit.

STEPHEN JAMES SAMUELS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,342,652 Eakins Feb. 29, 1944 2,360,170 Smith Oct. 10, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 296,419 Italy Mar. 16, 1932 

